Telephone-call distinguisher.



I K. W. GALE. TELEPHONE CALL DISTINGUISBER. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 16,1909.

Patented May 2,1911.

WWW

rue NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

KNIGHT W. GALE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TELEPHONE-CALL DISTINGUISHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 16, 1909.

Patented May 2, 1911.

Serial No. 478,320.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KNIGHT \V. GALE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Telephone-Call Distinguisher,of which the following is a specification.

An object of this invention is to provide a desk telephone with meansthat will give indication whenever a call is made over the telephone,and which will automatically return to the normal or non-indicatingposition when the call is answered, and will so remain after thetelephone returns to normal position until another call is made.

The invention is applicable to various kinds of telephones, and to wallphones as well as desk phones, and is especially adapted to avoidconfusion where two telephones are arranged side by side and thebell-signal may not enable one to readily determine over which telephonethe call has come.

A novel feature of this invention by which the same is adapted forapplication to desk phones consists in providing a phone with anelectro-magnet connected in series with the ringing circuit andindependently of the bell mechanism. By this means and other features ofconstruction, a signal is operated at the phone independently of themechanical operation of the hammer of the bell and without relation tothe location of the bell ringing apparatus.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmental perspective View of a telephone calldistinguisher constructed in accordance with the invention and appliedto a wall-telephone. Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan of the device asapplied to a desk telephone, parts being broken away for clearness ofillustration. Fig. 3 is a fragmental front elevation, the mouth-piecebeing omitted and its post broken away for clearness of illustration.Solid lines show the parts in position when a call has just beenreceived, and dotted lines indicate their normal position. Fig. 4 is aside elevation viewed from line indicated by w, Figs. 2 and 3, lookingto the right. Parts are shown in the normal position. Fig. 5 is anenlarged fragmental plan in section on line indicated by m, Figs. 3 and4.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the support 1 comprises a horizontal base2 terminating in arms 3 and 4 which are screw-threaded to receive nuts 5that hold a cap 6 in place on said arms to clamp the support 1 to thevertical standard 7 of a desk-telephone. Integral with the support 1 arehorizontal and vertical arms 8 and 9, the horizontal arm 8 forming asupport for an electro-magnet 10, and the vertical arm 9 providing amount for an armature 11, and index-plate 12, and an indicator-disk 13.The index-plate 12 is securely fastened to said arm 9 by rivets orotherwise, and is slotted to accommodate lugs 14 of the armature 11which are hinged to ears 15, 16 of the plate 12 by a pivot 17. Theindicator-disk 13 is pivoted to the upright arm 9 by means of a screw 18seated in the arm 9 and plate 12 and at a little distance aside from avertical line drawn from the center of gravity of the disk; the diskbeing provided on the other side of said line with a weight 19, so thatthe disk will drop edge sidewise when released by a latch 20 that isseated in and carried by the armature 11 and extends up and forwardthrough a slot 21 in the index plate 12 to engage a nib 22 formed bybending aslant rearwardly one margin of a slot 23 in the indicator-diskso that the catch will slide over the finger 20 and spring in behind itas the disk returns to normal or upright position where the latch holdsthe disk.

24 designates a coil spring to lift the armature to cause the latch toengage the nib 22 whenever the electro-magnet is deenergized. A finger25 is adjustably secured in a boss 26 of an arm 26 by a set-screw 27 andextending upwardly through a slot 25 in the horizontal base 2. The arm26 may be adjustably attached to any telephone receiver'hook 28 by meansof a clamp comprising a head 29 integral with said arm 26, and a block30 between which the hook 28 is interposed and made secure by a screw31. A lip 32 on the head 29 also guards against any dislocation afterthe clamp is in place.

The electro-magnet 10 is connected in series. The electric circuit 33for ringing the bells 34 is provided with a branch circuit 33 whichpasses through the electro-magnet 10, whereupon the armature isattracted thereto and the finger 20 withdrawn from the nib 22 of theindicator-disk 13, thus allowing the latter to drop as shown in Fig. 3under the action of the weight 19.

35 designates a stop mounted upon the arm 9, its purpose being to engagethe indicatordisk 13 and hold it in the indicating or dropped positionuntil automatically returned to its normal or upright position. Toaccomplish this a pin 36 is provided at the lower extremity of the diskand below the pivot or screw 18 which, when the disk drops, engages ornearly so, the finger 25.

When the bells 3 1 have rung and the indicator 13 has dropped, the sameserves as a signal until the telephone-receiver is removed from its hook28, thus allowing the receiverliook 28 to rise on its pivot 37 under theaction of the usual spring 38 for that purpose, thereby moving the arm26- and its finger to act upon the pin 36 to throw the disk 13 intoupright position where it is latched by the finger 20 engaging the nib22 as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 shows the application of my invention as applied to awall-telephone. In this view the arm 26 is in front of the receiverhook28 and the upright arm 9 is bent around, to form a support for theelectromagnet 10 and down to provide a lip 39 by which the entiresupport 1 may be fastened by means of a screw 10.

In the form shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4c and 5, my invention is attacheddirectly behind an ordinary mouthpiece of a desk telephone.

I claim 1. A telephone call-signal comprising, in combination with atelephone, a slotted fixed disk and a movable disk pivotally imposedthereon, a detent-latch extending through the slot, an armaturesupporting the latch, a magnet, and means for energizing same; abackward inturned lip on the pivoted disk adapted to engage thedetent-latch when superimposed, a weight on the outer edge of thepivoted disk, magnetic means to retract the latch, and cause it todisengage the lip and let the pivotal disk drop, and a finger upon theinner end of the receiver-hook to engage the base of the pivotal diskand throw it back upon the fixed disk at the 1 raising of the hook.

2. The combination with a telephone having an el'ectromagnet, a signalbell and a ringing circuit therefor, of a support connected to thestandard which carries the receiver hook of the telephone, anelectromagnet connected in series with the bellringing circuit, anindicator pivotally connected with the support, a latch pivoted to thesupport and normally held in position to engage the indicator to hold itout of commission, an armature to withdraw the latch from latcl-iingposition when the electromagnet is energized, and a finger carried bythe telephone receiver and adapted to restore the signal to normalposition when the receiver hook rises. In combination with a desktelephone which has a bell ringing circuit, a call distinguisherconsisting in a support comprising a horizontal base and horizontal andvertical arms, means for attaching the base to a telephone standard, anelectro-magnet mounted on the horizontal arm and connected in serieswith the bell-ringing circuit of the telephone, an armature for theelectromagnet, a latch pivoted to the upright arm and operated by thearmature, an indicator pivoted to the upright arm and adapted to be heldby the latch and adapted when unlatched to fall by gravity to indicatingposition, and a finger carried by the telephone hook and adapted toreplace the indicator to latched position when the hook rises.

In testimony whereofi I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 9th day of February, 1909.

KNIGHT WV. GALE.

In presence of- JAMES R. TOWNSEND, M. BEULAH TOWNSEND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

